Troy Gentry tribute: Blake Shelton, Rascal Flatts and more celebrate late country singer

For the last year, when Darryl Worley has performed his No. 1 country hit, "I Miss My Friend," in concert, he's often dedicated it to late country singer Troy Gentry.

Gentry — one-half of the award-winning duo Montgomery Gentry — was killed in a 2017 helicopter crash at the age of 50.

Blake Shelton performs during the C'Ya On The Flipside Benefit Concert at the Grand Ole Opry House ...more

Blake Shelton performs during the C'Ya On The Flipside Benefit Concert at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019.

Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com

But when Worley showed up to perform at an all-star tribute to Gentry at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House on Wednesday, he decided instead to play his determined anthem, "Second Wind."

"I prayed about this, because in a situation like this, you want to do the right thing," Worley said backstage. "And it was almost like I heard him say, 'Hey, you know what? I'm OK. It's good over here. But I've still got family and loved ones back there that are struggling. So don't do a song for me tonight. Do a song for them.'

That sums up the positive vibe of Wednesday night's concert — dubbed "C-Ya On The Flipside."

Backstage before the show, several of those performers referred to the night as "a celebration," while sharing tour bus memories of the man they usually called "T-Roy."

"Some fans told me, 'We just can't bring ourselves to come to the show,'" recalled Colt Ford. "And it's like, you have to! How else do you think we're going to keep T-Roy alive? It's the music....It's a big deal, and I think he would be pretty happy to see all his buddies out here celebrating his life. You've gotta keep that music going.

Almost all of the artists were friends of Gentry's — his wife, Angie, said they invited most of them to participate by going through his phone book.

The show was a benefit for several organizations that Gentry and his family had worked with for years, including the TJ Martell Foundation and The Journey Home Project, as well as for the newly established Troy Gentry Foundation.

"He just wanted to help people, and he wanted to have fun doing it," Angie Gentry said. "(The causes) were things that were personal, that mattered to him, that touched our families."

Shelton was billed only as a host of Wednesday's show, but he surprised the crowd with an acoustic performance of "Over You," a song he co-wrote for his late brother.